
Reach for this book when your child is grappling with a profound sense of unfairness or feels the weight of a family secret they cannot quite name. It is an ideal choice for the young person who is beginning to realize that adults are fallible and that history is shaped by the choices individuals make, even when those choices are difficult or scary. Through the lens of time travel, the story addresses the heavy burden of a father wrongly accused and the lengths a daughter will go to seek justice. Margaret O'Malley discovers she has the ability to travel through time, a gift she uses to venture sixty years into the past to prevent the event that turned a kind young boy into the bitter judge who has sentenced her father to death. This historical fantasy weaves together themes of corporate greed, labor rights, and the transformative power of friendship. While the stakes are high, the narrative emphasizes that courage and compassion can reshape the future, making it a hopeful choice for mature 8 to 12 year olds who enjoy mystery and moral complexity.
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Sign in to write a reviewThe protagonist's father faces the death penalty, which creates a lingering sense of dread.
Depictions of a mining strike and corporate-enforced intimidation.
Explores whether it is right to change history even for a good cause.
The book deals directly with the threat of state-sanctioned execution (capital punishment) and corporate violence (a mining disaster). These are handled realistically rather than metaphorically, though the time-travel element provides a layer of fantasy. The resolution is hopeful, suggesting that cycles of bitterness can be broken.
A thoughtful 10 or 11-year-old who is interested in social justice and enjoys 'what if' scenarios. This is for the child who asks 'Why is the world like this?' and wants to believe they have the power to make it better.
Parents should be aware of the mining strike violence depicted in the 1938 sections. It is not overly graphic but is emotionally intense. Reading the first few chapters together can help anchor the child in the dual-timeline structure. A child expressing frustration that 'it's not fair' regarding a local news story or a family situation where someone was wrongly blamed.
Younger readers (8-9) will focus on the magic of time travel and the 'mission' aspect. Older readers (11-12) will better grasp the historical context of labor unions, the moral ambiguity of changing the past, and the nuance of Lucas Biggs' character development.
It successfully blends high-concept sci-fi with gritty, well-researched historical fiction, focusing on the emotional origins of a 'villain' rather than just a hero's journey.
Margaret O'Malley's father is on death row for a crime he did not commit, sentenced by the cold-hearted Judge Lucas Biggs. Margaret discovers she can 'slip' through time, a secret family trait. She travels back to 1938 to a mining town ruled by a corrupt corporation. There, she meets a young, kind version of Lucas Biggs and realizes that a specific tragedy in his youth turned him into the man he is today. Margaret must change the past to save her father's life in the present.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.